Penguins 2, Senators 1 (SO)

January 27, 2013|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

Penguins 2, Senators 1 (SO)

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Evgeni Malkin's shootout goal was the difference as the Pittsburgh Penguins ended their two-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators Sunday at Scotiabank Place.

Senators goalie Craig Anderson, who had allowed three goals in nine periods leading up to the shootout, couldn't make a save in the tie-breaking procedure, as James Neal and Sidney Crosby also scored shootout goals before Malkin's game-winner.

Kyle Turris and Jason Spezza scored for the Senators in the shootout, but Milan Michalek's failed to score on Marc-Andre Fleury on Ottawa's first shot of the shootout.

Anderson and Fleury each made 28 stops through regulation time, which ended with the teams tied 1-1.

Crosby had the best chance to score a game-winning goal in the extra five-minute period, but his wrist shot from the slot was kicked aside by Anderson.

Making his first start of the season on the first line -- after spending most of last season alongside Spezza and Michalek -- Colin Greening scored his first goal of the season to tie the game 13:44 into the middle period.

The Penguins had broken the ice when Neal scored his fourth of the season at the 13:31 mark of the opening period. Neal's one-timer was set up by Malkin, who neatly stepped around Senators center Zack Smith before feeding his winger.

The Senators, who led 12-10 on shots after one period, had their best chance seconds before the intermission when Erik Condra had a shorthanded breakaway. He was unable to get a clean shot off because of some determined backchecking from Kris Letang, but as the puck popped up, Condra batted at it, sending it just over the top of the net.

Condra was also robbed by a great Fleury skate save about 13 minutes into the third.

Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson had a pair of chances in the final minute, but shot wide both times.

NOTES: Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson was a late scratch after coming down with flu symptoms. Taking his spot in the lineup was Guillaume Latendresse, who was otherwise scheduled to be a healthy scratch for the second game in a row ... Malkin's first-period assist was the 324th of his career, tying him with Rick Kehoe for seventh place on the franchise all-time list. It was Malkin's 432nd game as a Penguin. Kehoe played 722 ... Anderson stopped Matt Cooke's clear breakaway eight minutes into the second, prompting the team's second consecutive sellout crowd to start an "Andy" chant ... Entering the game, the Senators and Penguins had proven to be a pretty even match dating back to the 2007-07 season. Of the 24 games, Ottawa had won 13 ... Playing his first game at Scotiabank Place as a Senator was defenseman Mark Borowiecki, an Ottawa native who the team selected in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2008 entry draft. Borowiecki made his presence felt with a thundering hit on Tyler Kennedy in the second.